The USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card is a good credit card for earning reward points on travel expenses and everyday purchases if you have a 600+ credit score and you’re eligible for USAA® membership. The card gives 2-3 times as many points on purchases as the average rewards card, plus a $100 travel credit each year after completing eligible bookings.

If you make this your everyday credit card, you could save around $1,300 with this card in just two years, according to my calculations. That’s true even considering the card’s $95 annual fee. But to achieve such savings, you’ll need to pay your bill in full each month in order to evade expensive interest charges. The USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card is not built for low-cost financing. 

What I Like About the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card 

3 points / $1 spent on travel 

This is a great option for ongoing travel rewards. After all, even some of the best travel rewards credit cards give just 2 points or miles per $1 spent. 

Plus, this isn’t a case where you’re earning points at a fast clip but getting slowed down by a low redemption rate. USAA points are worth an average of 0.85 cents per point according to our research, which is pretty standard. 

Lots of different kinds of travel expenses count for the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card’s bonus rewards rate, too. They include:

• Airlines
• Boat rentals
• Bridge fees
• Buses
• Campgrounds
• Car rental agencies
• Cruise lines
• Ferries
• Hotels
• Limousines
• Motels
• Motor home and recreational vehicle rentals
• Parking garages
• Parking lots
• Parking meters
• Passenger trains
• Recreational trailer parks
• Rideshares
• Taxis
• Third party travel websites
• Timeshares
• Tolls
• Travel agencies
• Truck and trailer rentals
• USAA Rewards Center
• Vacation rentals

2 points / $1 spent on other purchases 

Most credit cards will only give you a minimum of 1 point per $1 spent. Given its relatively high base earning rate, the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card can work really well for people who plan to use their card for more than just travel.  
 

30,000 points statement credit as initial bonus

The USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card offers 30,000 points after spending $3,000 on purchases within 90 days. The best travel credit cards offer hundreds of dollars in bonus rewards in return for spending a few thousand dollars during the first few months your account is open. 
 

10,000-point travel credits

Each year, you can get 10,000 bonus points by charging an eligible hotel or rental car reservation to your card. For a reservation to be eligible, you need to spend at least $100 and 100 points on the purchase. You’ll get the bonus points within five business days after completing an eligible booking, saving you $100. 
 

Points don’t expire 

Simply holding onto your points for too long won’t cost you, as long as your account is open. That’s not always a guarantee with other credit card companies. 

You will lose any unredeemed rewards when you close your account, though. That’s standard for a rewards card. 
 

Several secondary benefits 

The USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card has travel accident insurance, trip interruption coverage, baggage delay reimbursement, purchase protection, and cell phone insurance. These types of perks can really come in handy, but many other credit cards have been reducing their secondary benefits lately. For full coverage details, you can refer to the Guide to Benefits provided after account opening, or call the number on the back of your card for assistance.

What I Don’t Like About the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card  

$95 annual fee

The USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card is several times more expensive than the average credit card offer. The average annual fee among current credit card offers is $27.85 per year. 

That said, travel credit cards tend to charge more than average, and several have fees equal to or greater than what the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card charges. Plus, you can still save money with the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card, despite its fee. 
 

18.40% - 26.65% variable APR

You won’t get a low introductory interest rate from the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card. You might not even get a regular APR that’s lower than average. The average rate among credit cards for people with good credit is 23.46%, according to WalletHub’s Credit Card Landscape Report, while credit cards for excellent credit charge an average of 17.27%. 

Fortunately, you can avoid interest charges entirely by paying your full statement balance by the due date each month. I recommend planning on that if you apply for this card. 
 

Good or excellent credit needed

You need a credit score of 700+ to have good odds of being approved for the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card. This isn’t unusual, but it would be nicer to have more relaxed requirements. You can check your credit score for free right here on WalletHub to see if applying for the USAA Eagle Navigator® Credit Card is a good move.